Preventing abuse in content sharing system

ABSTRACT

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method that includes receiving, by a processing device, one or more first content items for one or more first user accounts of a content sharing system. The method further includes storing the first content items at the content sharing system. The method further includes receiving, by the processing device, a second content item for a second user account of the content sharing system. The method further includes comparing, by the processing device, the received second content item to the stored first content items to determine that the second content item is not exclusive to the second user account. The method further includes restricting a privilege of the second user account for the second content item in response to the determination that the second content item is not exclusive to the second user account.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/584,745, filed May 2, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/665,945, filed Mar. 23, 2015, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/969,991, filedMar. 25, 2014, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This instant specification relates to preventing abuse related tonon-exclusive content in a content sharing system.

BACKGROUND

A content hosting service allows individuals to upload content (e.g.,text, audio, and/or video) to share with others on a website. A usermay, for example, upload via the hosting service's website, mobile app,desktop applications, or through application program interfaces (APIs).The hosting service then stores the content on its servers and providesthe content to devices of other users that request the content.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method includes receiving, by a processing device, oneor more first content items for one or more first user accounts of acontent sharing system. The method further includes storing the firstcontent items at the content sharing system. The method further includesreceiving, by the processing device, a second content item for a seconduser account of the content sharing system. The method further includescomparing, by the processing device, the received second content item tothe stored first content items to determine that the second content itemis not exclusive to the second user account. The method further includesrestricting a privilege of the second user account for the secondcontent item in response to the determination that the second contentitem is not exclusive to the second user account.

Implementations can include any, all, or none of the following features.One or more of the first content items or the second content item caninclude video. Restricting the privilege can include denying uploadingof the second content item by the second user account where the secondcontent item includes long content, high resolution content, or highbandwidth content. Restricting the privilege can include denying livestreaming of the second content item by the second user account.Restricting the privilege can include denying annotations within thesecond content item by the second user account. Restricting theprivilege can include denying links to an online market within thesecond content item by the second user account. Restricting theprivilege can include denying monetization of the second content item bythe second user account. Restricting the privilege can include denyingmultiple audio or subtitle tracks in the second content item by thesecond user account. Restricting the privilege can include denyingpromotion of the second content item by the second user account insearch results. Restricting the privilege can include denying selectiveregional availability of the second content item by the second useraccount. Restricting the privilege can include denying promotion ofcomments for the second content item by the second user account.Restricting the privilege can include denying editing of the secondcontent item by the second user account. The method can includereceiving a request from the second user account to exercise theprivilege for the second content item. The method can further includecomparing the received second content item to the stored first contentitems in response to receiving the request. The method can includereceiving, by the processing device, a third content item for the seconduser account. The method can further include restricting a privilege ofthe second user account for the third content item without comparing thethird content item to the stored first content items. The method caninclude determining that a threshold number of content items for thesecond user account have been received that are not exclusive to thesecond user account and for which requests to exercise the privilegehave been received. The threshold number of content items can include atleast the second content item. The method can further includerestricting the privilege of the second user account for the thirdcontent item in response to the determination that the threshold numberof content items for the second user account has been received.Comparing the received second content item to the stored first contentitems to determine that the second content item is not exclusive to thesecond user account can include determining that a particular amount ofthe second content item that matches content in the stored first contentitems exceeds a threshold amount or that a degree of similarity of aportion of the second content item to content in the stored firstcontent items exceeds a threshold degree of similarity.

In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing device,cause the processing device to perform operations including receiving,by the processing device, one or more first content items for one ormore first user accounts of a content sharing system. The operationsfurther include storing the first content items at the content sharingsystem. The operations further include receiving, by the processingdevice, a second content item for a second user account of the contentsharing system. The operations further include comparing, by theprocessing device, the received second content item to the stored firstcontent items to determine that the second content item is not exclusiveto the second user account. The operations further include restricting aprivilege of the second user account for the second content item inresponse to the determination that the second content item is notexclusive to the second user account.

Implementations can include any, all, or none of the following features.One or more of the first content items or the second content item caninclude video. Restricting the privilege can include denying uploadingof the second content item by the second user account where the secondcontent item includes long content, high resolution content, or highbandwidth content. Restricting the privilege can include denying livestreaming of the second content item by the second user account.Restricting the privilege can include denying annotations within thesecond content item by the second user account. Restricting theprivilege can include denying links to an online market within thesecond content item by the second user account. Restricting theprivilege can include denying monetization of the second content item bythe second user account. Restricting the privilege can include denyingmultiple audio or subtitle tracks in the second content item by thesecond user account. Restricting the privilege can include denyingpromotion of the second content item by the second user account insearch results. Restricting the privilege can include denying selectiveregional availability of the second content item by the second useraccount. Restricting the privilege can include denying promotion ofcomments for the second content item by the second user account.Restricting the privilege can include denying editing of the secondcontent item by the second user account. The operations can furtherinclude receiving a request from the second user account to exercise theprivilege for the second content item. The operations can furtherinclude comparing the received second content item to the stored firstcontent items in response to receiving the request. The operations canfurther include receiving, by the processing device, a third contentitem for the second user account. The operations can further includerestricting a privilege of the second user account for the third contentitem without comparing the third content item to the stored firstcontent items. The operations can further include determining that athreshold number of content items for the second user account have beenreceived that are not exclusive to the second user account and for whichrequests to exercise the privilege have been received. The thresholdnumber of content items can include at least the second content item.The operations can further include restricting the privilege of thesecond user account for the third content item in response to thedetermination that the threshold number of content items for the seconduser account has been received. Comparing the received second contentitem to the stored first content items to determine that the secondcontent item is not exclusive to the second user account can includedetermining that a particular amount of the second content item thatmatches content in the stored first content items exceeds a thresholdamount or that a degree of similarity of a portion of the second contentitem to content in the stored first content items exceeds a thresholddegree of similarity.

In one aspect, a system includes an interface to receive one or morefirst content items for one or more first user accounts of a contentsharing system and a second content item for a second user account ofthe content sharing system. The system further includes a memory tostore the first content items. The system further includes a processingdevice to compare the received second content item to the stored firstcontent items to determine that the second content item is not exclusiveto the second user account and, in response, to restrict a privilege ofthe second user account for the second content item.

Implementations can include any, all, or none of the following features.One or more of the first content items or the second content item caninclude video. The processing device can be further to restrict theprivilege by denying uploading of the second content item by the seconduser account where the second content item includes long content, highresolution content, or high bandwidth content. The processing device canbe further to restrict the privilege by denying live streaming of thesecond content item by the second user account. The processing devicecan be further to restrict the privilege by denying annotations withinthe second content item by the second user account. The processingdevice can be further to restrict the privilege by denying links to anonline market within the second content item by the second user account.The processing device can be further to restrict the privilege bydenying monetization of the second content item by the second useraccount. The processing device can be further to restrict the privilegeby denying multiple audio or subtitle tracks in the second content itemby the second user account. The processing device can be further torestrict the privilege by denying promotion of the second content itemby the second user account in search results. The processing device canbe further to restrict the privilege by denying selective regionalavailability of the second content item by the second user account. Theprocessing device can be further to restrict the privilege by denyingpromotion of comments for the second content item by the second useraccount. The processing device can be further to restrict the privilegeby denying editing of the second content item by the second useraccount. The interface can be further to receive a request from thesecond user account to exercise the privilege for the second contentitem. The processing device can be further to compare the receivedsecond content item to the stored first content items in response toreceiving the request. The interface can be further to receive a thirdcontent item for the second user account and the processing device canbe further to determine that a threshold number of content items for thesecond user account have been received that are not exclusive to thesecond user account and for which requests to exercise the privilegehave been received. The threshold number of content items can include atleast the second content item. The processing device can be further torestrict a privilege of the second user account for the third contentitem in response to the determination that the threshold number ofcontent items for the second user account have been received without acomparison of the third content item to the stored first content items.The processing device can be further to compare the received secondcontent item to the stored first content items to determine that thesecond content item is not exclusive to the second user account bydetermining that a particular amount of the second content item thatmatches content in the stored first content items exceeds a thresholdamount or that a degree of similarity of a portion of the second contentitem to content in the stored first content items exceeds a thresholddegree of similarity.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram that shows an example of a system forpreventing abuse related to non-exclusive content in a content sharingsystem.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows an example of a system forpreventing abuse related to non-exclusive content in a content sharingsystem.

FIG. 3 is flow chart that shows an example of a process for preventingabuse related to non-exclusive content in a content sharing system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram that shows an example of a computingsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This document describes systems and techniques for preventing abuserelated to non-exclusive content in a content sharing system. A user mayupload content, such as text, audio, and/or video, to the contentsharing system. The user may then request that a privilege be exercisedwith respect to the content. For example, privileges may includeuploading long content (e.g., a video longer than fifteen minutes),allowing live streaming of content, uploading and/or streaming highresolution and/or bandwidth content, allowing annotations withincontent, allowing links to an online market within content, allowingmonetization of content using advertisements, allowing multiple audiotracks in video content, allowing one or more subtitle tracks in videocontent, providing promotion and/or surfacing of content in searchresults, enabling selective regional availability of content, providingpromotion of comments for content, and allowing editing of content. Thecontent sharing system may prevent abuse by preventing the user fromexercising or restricting the user's exercise of the privilege forcontent that is not exclusive to the user, such as content that hasalready been uploaded by one or more other users of the content sharingsystem. In some implementations, restricting the privileges does notinclude restricting presentation of the content.

The systems and techniques described here may provide one or more of thefollowing advantages. First, a system can provide for preventing abuserelated to non-exclusive content in a content sharing system by matchinga user's content with content of other users to determine that theuser's content was previously upload by another user. Second, a systemcan provide for preventing abuse related to non-exclusive content in acontent sharing system by determining that a user has previouslyuploaded and attempted to exercise a privilege for content that was notexclusive to the user. Third, a system can provide for preventing abuserelated to non-exclusive content in a content sharing system by matchinga user's content with content of other users, where content from theuser and/or the other users is not subject to copyright or is in thepublic domain.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram that shows an example of a system 100 forpreventing abuse related to non-exclusive content in a content sharingsystem 102. The system 100 includes multiple computer devices 104 a-c incommunication with the content sharing system 102 over one or morenetworks 106, such as a local network, a wide network, and/or one ormore of the computer devices that make up the Internet. The computerdevices 104 a-c may include, for example, desktop computers, laptopcomputers, and/or mobile devices, such as smartphones. The contentsharing system 102 includes one or more computer devices that mayinclude, processing devices, storage devices, and network interfaces.

A first user at the first computer device 104 a may upload content, suchas a first video 108 a, from the first computer device 104 a to anaccount of the first user at the content sharing system 102. The firstuser may then make the first video 108 a available to other users and/orcomputer devices. For example, the first user at the first computerdevice 104 a may send a command to the content sharing system 102 topublish the first video 108 a, e.g., to particular users, devices,and/or to the general public. The first user may also send a request tothe content sharing system 102 to exercise a privilege 112 for thecontent, or the first user may provide an indication that the privilege112 for the content is allowed (e.g., by setting a property or indicatorof the content).

As an example of a privilege, the user at the first computer device 104a may request that a large content item be uploaded to the contentsharing system 102, (e.g., the first video 108 a may be longer thanfifteen minutes or larger than a particular number of bytes). In anotherexample, the user at the first computer device 104 a may request thatthe first video 108 a be streamed live to other users. In anotherexample, the user at the first computer device 104 a may request thatthe first video 108 a, which has a high resolution and/or bandwidthusage, be uploaded and/or streamed. The user at the first computerdevice 104 a may also request that annotations be presented within thefirst video 108 a or that links to an online market be allowed withinthe first video 108 a. The user at the first computer device 104 a mayrequest that multiple audio tracks and/or one or more subtitle tracks beincluded in the first video 108 a. In yet another example, the user atthe first computer device 104 a may send a request to the contentsharing system 102 that the first video 108 a be promoted and/orsurfaced by the content sharing system 102 or another system withinsearch results. The user at the first computer device 104 a may alsorequest that selective regional availability be enabled for the firstvideo 108 a.

In the case of monetizing content with advertisements, the contentsharing system 102, or another system (e.g., an ad server), may selectadvertisements for presentation in conjunction with the first user'scontent, such as beside the content, on top of the content, within thecontent, before playing the content, after playing the content, and/orin the middle of playing the content. For content that the first userhas selected for monetization, the content sharing system 102 may creditthe account of the first user after presenting the content along with anadvertisement to another user. In some implementations, the first usermay later send a request to the content sharing system 102 to stopmonetizing the first video 108 a.

After the request to exercise the privilege, a third user at the thirdcomputer device 104 c may send a request from the third computer device104 c to the content sharing system 102 for presentation of the firstvideo 108 a. The content sharing system 102 determines that the thirduser is allowed to access the first video 108 a, such as by the firstuser sharing the first video 108 a specifically with the third user,with a group of users to which the third user belongs, or generally withanyone. The content sharing system 102 then provides the first video 108a to the third computer device 104 c.

The content sharing system 102 determines that the first user hasrequested that the privilege 112 be exercised for the first video 108 a.The content sharing system 102 generates a privilege event 110 inresponse to sending the first video 108 a to the third computer device104 c. Alternatively, the content sharing system 102 may generate theprivilege event 110 in response to the request that the privilege 112 beexercised. For example, in the case of a large content item or streaminga content item, the content sharing system 102 may generate theprivilege event 110 in response to the user at the first computer device104 a uploading the first video 108 a. In another example, where theuser modifies the content item (e.g., by adding annotations or links),the content sharing system 102 may generate the privilege event 110 inresponse to the user at the first computer device 104 a requesting themodification the first video 108 a.

In response to the privilege event 110, the content sharing system 102determines whether to actually exercise the privilege for the firstvideo 108 a. The content sharing system 102 bases the determination onwhether the first video 108 a is exclusive to the account of the firstuser. The content sharing system 102 may determine whether the firstvideo 108 a is exclusive to the account of the first user prior toproviding the first video 108 a to the third computer device 104 c. Inresponse to determining that the first user has requested that theprivilege be exercised for the first video 108 a and that the firstvideo 108 a is exclusive to the first user account, the content sharingsystem 102 then exercises the privilege. For example, the user at thefirst computer device 104 a may request that the first video 108 a belive streamed. The content sharing system 102 may determine that thefirst video 108 a is exclusive to the account of the user at the firstcomputer device 104 a when the user uploads the first video 108 a, whenthe user requests that live streaming be enabled for the first video 108a, and/or when the user at the third computer device 104 c downloads thefirst video 108 a for live streaming.

In the case of monetizing content with advertisements, the contentsharing system 102 provides an advertisement to the third computerdevice 104 c for presentation in conjunction with the first video 108 a.The content sharing system 102 generates the privilege event 110 inresponse to sending the first video 108 a and/or the advertisement tothe third computer device 104 c. In response to the privilege event 110,the content sharing system 102 determines whether to credit the accountof the first user with the privilege 112 for presentation of theadvertisement at the third computer device 104 c. The content sharingsystem 102 bases the determination on whether the first video 108 a isexclusive to the account of the first user. Alternatively, the contentsharing system 102 may determine whether the first video 108 a isexclusive to the account of the first user prior to providing theadvertisement. In response to determining that the first user hasrequested monetization for the first video 108 a and that the firstvideo 108 a is exclusive, the content sharing system 102 then providesthe advertisement to the third computer device 104 c.

Prior to determining whether the first video 108 a is exclusive to thefirst user account, a second user at the second computer device 104 bmay upload a second video 108 b from the second computer device 104 b tothe content sharing system 102. The content sharing system 102 receivesthe second video 108 b and stores the second video 108 b at the contentsharing system 102. Then, after receiving the first video 108 a, thecontent sharing system 102 compares the first video 108 a to the secondvideo 108 b. The content sharing system 102 may also compare the firstvideo 108 a to one or more other videos received and/or stored at thecontent sharing system 102 prior to the first video 108 a. If thecontent sharing system 102 determines that the first video 108 a matchesthe second video 108 b or another video received and/or stored at thecontent sharing system 102 prior to the first video 108 a, then thefirst video 108 a is not exclusive to the account of the first user.Accordingly, the content sharing system 102 restricts the privilege 112of the account of the first user for the first video 108 a.

In one example, the content sharing system 102 performs the comparisonwhen the privilege event 110 occurs for the first video 108 a, such aswhen live streaming the first video 108 a, presenting an advertisementin conjunction with presenting the first video 108 a, proving selectiveregional availability for the first video 108 a, or streaming a highresolution version of the first video 108 a. In another example, thecontent sharing system 102 performs the comparison when the first userrequests that the privilege be exercised for the first video 108 a. Thismay be when the first user uploads the first video 108 a, such as whenuploading a long and/or high resolution version of the first video 108a, or sometime after uploading the first video 108 a, such as when theuser attempts to edit the first video 108 a and/or annotate or add linksto the first video 108 a. In another example, the content sharing system102 performs the comparison in response to a review event 114, such aswhen the first video 108 a reaches a particular milestone (e.g., athreshold amount of views, revenue, comments, and/or likes for the firstvideo 108 a).

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, or may make use of personal information, theusers may be provided with an opportunity to control whether the contentsharing system 102 collects user information (e.g., information about auser's social network, social actions or activities, profession, auser's preferences, or a user's current location), or to control whetherand/or how to receive content from the content server that may be morerelevant to the user. In addition, certain data may be treated in one ormore ways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiableinformation is removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated sothat no personally identifiable information can be determined for theuser, or a user's geographic location may be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by the content sharing system 102.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows an example of a system 200 forpreventing abuse related to non-exclusive content in a content sharingsystem 202. The content sharing system 202 includes an interface 204that receives a video 206. The interface 204 may provide communicationwith a network over which the video 206 is received as well as a userinterface with which an end user uploads the video 206, such as aweb-based user interface.

The content sharing system 202 also includes an index module 208 thatstores the video 206 along with previously received videos in an index210. The index module 208 may prepare the video 206 for storage in theindex 210 by converting the video 206 into a particular format used forsearching the index 210. The index module 208 may also store metadataassociated with the video 206 in the index 210, such as a name of thevideo 206, tags for the video 206, and sharing options for the video206.

The content sharing system 202 also includes a lookup module 212. Thelookup module 212 compares the video 206 to other previously receivedvideos in the index 210. If the lookup module 212 finds any matchesbetween the video 206 and the previously received videos, then thelookup module 212 may store the identified matches in a match store 214.In some implementations, the lookup module 212 may compare the videos atsome point after the videos have been uploaded (e.g., later when theuser requests that the privilege be exercised). In which case, thelookup module 212 may compare the time and date at which the videos wereuploaded to determine which video in a set of matching videos wasuploaded first.

The lookup module 212 or another module may perform a lookup forcopyright verification. In some implementations, the content sharingsystem 202 uses the matches identified by the lookup module 212 andstored in the match store 214 for identifying both the exclusivity ofthe video 206 and any possible copyright violation caused by the video206. In addition, the content sharing system 202 may identify videos forexclusivity independently of whether the videos participate in thecopyright protection process. For example, one or more of the videos inthe index 210 and/or the videos identified in the match store 214 mayinclude videos that are not participating in the copyright protectionprocess, but that are still compared to one another to determineexclusivity.

The content sharing system 202 further includes a vetting module 216.The vetting module 216 determines whether to restrict a privilege of theuser account for the video 206 based on whether the video 206 isexclusive to the user account (e.g., whether a match between the video206 and any previously received videos was identified). In a set ofmatching videos, the vetting module 216 may identify the videos thatwere received after the first video in the set as non-exclusive. Thevetting module 216 then restricts a privilege of the user account forthe non-exclusive videos.

In some implementations, the vetting module 216 may restrict a privilegewhen a strength and/or length of similarity between a portion of thevideo 206 and a portion of another video are above a particularthreshold. In one example, the vetting module 216 may restrict aprivilege when a match is made between video (and/or audio within thevideo 206) and the other video. In some implementations, the vettingmodule 216 may restrict a privilege based on a combination of the lengthand strength of the match. For example, the vetting module 216 mayrestrict a privilege when a short portion matches almost exactly (e.g.,a one minute portion matches almost exactly) or when a longer portion isless than an exact match but very similar (e.g., a five minute portionthat is very similar). In another example, the vetting module 216 mayrestrict a privilege based on at least a particular percentage of thevideo 206 matching another video (e.g., about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or90%). The vetting module 216 may apply a one-way match or a two-waymatch. For example in a one-way match, the vetting module 216 mayrestrict a privilege when a particular percentage of one of the videosmatches the other (e.g., when either the particular percentage of thevideo 206 matches some portion of the other video or the particularpercentage of the other video matches some portion of the video 206). Ina two-way match, the vetting module 216 may restrict a privilege when aparticular percentage of both of the videos match the other (e.g., theparticular percentage of the video 206 matches some portion of the othervideo and the particular percentage of the other video matches someportion of the video 206).

The vetting module 216 and/or the lookup module 212 may ignorepreviously received videos from the same user account as the video 206when finding matches to the video 206. In some implementations, thevetting module 216 and/or the lookup module 212 may associate multipleaccounts with one another that are administered by the same person orentity. The vetting module 216 and/or the lookup module 212 may thenignore previously received videos from the associated accounts whenfinding matches to the video 206.

The content sharing system 202 also includes an aggregation module 218.The aggregation module 218 aggregates the number of videos for whicheach user account has attempted to exercise a privilege that wereidentified by the vetting module 216 as non-exclusive. If theaggregation module 218 determines that the other videos for an accounthave an aggregate number of attempts for non-exclusive videos that isabove a particular threshold (e.g., five, ten, or twenty videos), thenthe aggregation module 218 may restrict a privilege for a subsequentvideo even though the subsequent video has not been restricted by thevetting module 216 for non-exclusivity.

In some implementations, the content sharing system 202 may combine theaggregate number of attempts for non-exclusive videos from theaggregation module 218 with the length and similarity matchinginformation from the vetting module 216 to determine an overall scorefor the video 206. The content sharing system 202 may then determinewhether to restrict a privilege for the video 206 based on the overallscore of the video 206. For example, the content sharing system 202 maydetermine whether the overall score of the video 206 is above aparticular threshold and if so, then the content sharing system 202restricts a privilege of the user account for the video 206.

The vetting module 216 and/or the aggregation module 218 may performtheir respective operations in response to a privilege event 220 or areview event 222. For example, the content sharing system 202 mayreceive a request to present the video 206 at a computer device. In thecase where the privilege includes monetization of content withadvertisements, the content sharing system 202 may include anadvertising module 224 that presents an advertisement in conjunctionwith the presentation of the video 206 at the computer device. Theadvertising module 224, or another module acting in concert with thepresentation of the video 206, causes generation of the privilege event220 in response to the request for presentation of the advertisement atthe computer device. Alternatively, the content sharing system 202 maygenerate the privilege event 220 in response to receiving the request toexercise the privilege for the video 206. The vetting module 216 and/orthe aggregation module 218 then evaluate the video 206 for exclusivityand credit an account of the user with a monetization 226 if the video206 is determined to be exclusive to the account of the user. In anotherexample, the vetting module 216 and/or the aggregation module 218 mayperform their respective operations in response to the review event 222.The content sharing system 202 may initiate the review event 222, forexample, when the video 206 reaches a threshold amount of views,revenue, comments, and/or likes.

In some implementations, the content sharing system 202 provides aprocess for appealing the automatic determination of non-exclusivity.For example, the content sharing system 202 may provide a user interfacefor submitting evidence that the video 206 is exclusive to the useraccount. In response to receiving information that shows the video 206is exclusive to the user account, the content sharing system 202 maythen allow the user account to exercise the privilege for the video 206.In addition, the content sharing system 202 may restrict a privilege ofother user accounts that may be exercising the privilege for the video206.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart that shows an example of a process 300 forpreventing abuse related to non-exclusive content in a content sharingsystem. The process 300 may be performed, for example, by a system suchas the systems 100 and 200. For clarity of presentation, the descriptionthat follows uses the systems 100 and 200 as examples for describing theprocess 300. However, another system, or combination of systems, may beused to perform the process 300.

For simplicity of explanation, the processes of this disclosure aredepicted and described as a series of acts. However, acts in accordancewith this disclosure can occur in various orders and/or concurrently,and with other acts not presented and described herein. Furthermore, notall illustrated acts may be required to implement the processes inaccordance with the disclosed subject matter. In addition, those skilledin the art will understand and appreciate that the processes couldalternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states via astate diagram or events. Additionally, it should be appreciated that theprocesses disclosed in this specification are capable of being stored onan article of manufacture to facilitate transporting and transferringsuch processes to computing devices. The term “article of manufacture,”as used herein, is intended to encompass a computer program accessiblefrom a computer-readable device or storage media.

The process 300 begins, at block 302, with receiving, at a contentsharing system, a new content item for a user account of the contentsharing system. In some implementations, the new content item mayinclude video. In some implementations, the new content item does notparticipate in a copyright protection process. For example, theinterface 204 may receive content items, such as the video 206, fromcomputer devices, such as the first computer device 104 a and the secondcomputer device 104 b.

At block 304, the process 300 includes storing the new content item atthe content sharing system. For example, the index module 208 may storereceived content items, such as the video 206, in the index 210.

At block 306, the process 300 includes comparing the new content item toone or more other content items previously received and stored at thecontent sharing system to determine whether the new content item isexclusive to the user account. In some implementations, comparing thenew content item to the stored content items includes determining that aparticular amount of the new content item that matches content in thestored content items exceeds a threshold amount or that a degree ofsimilarity of a portion of the new content item to content in the storedcontent items exceeds a threshold degree of similarity. For example, thelookup module 212 may compare the content items in the index 210 toidentify matches and then store the identified matches in the matchstore 214.

If the new content item is not exclusive to the user account, then atblock 310, the process 300 includes restricting a privilege of the useraccount for the new content item. For example, the vetting module 216may restrict a privilege of a first account for the video 206 thatuploaded the video 206 in response to determining that the video 206 isnot exclusive to the first user account.

If the new content item is exclusive to the user account, then at block308, the process 300 includes determining whether a threshold number ofcontent items from the user account have been received that are notexclusive to the user account and for which a request to exercise aprivilege has been received. If the threshold number of content itemshas been received, then the process 300 proceeds to block 310 whichincludes restricting a privilege of the user account for the new contentitem. For example, the aggregation module 218 may restrict a privilegeof the first user account for the video 206 in response to determiningthat the first user has attempted to exercise a privilege for athreshold number of other videos that were identified as not exclusiveto the first user account.

Otherwise, if the threshold number of content items has not beenreceived, then the process 300 returns to block 302 which includesreceiving another content item. In some implementations, the process 300includes receiving a request to exercise a privilege of the new contentitem. The process 300 may then include performing operations of blocks306 and/or 308 in response to receiving the request to exercise theprivilege of the new content item. In some implementations, one or moreof the operations of the process 300 may be performed in another orderor concurrently. For example, block 308 may be performed before block306. In some implementations, restricting a privilege of the useraccount for the new content item as a result of block 308 may occurwithout comparing the new content item to the stored content items inblock 306.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram that shows an example of a machine in theform of a computer system 400. The computer system 400 executes one ormore sets of instructions 426 that cause the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein. The machine may operatein the capacity of a server or a client machine in client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), atablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), amobile telephone, a web appliance, a server, a network router, switch orbridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term“machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines thatindividually or jointly execute the sets of instructions 426 to performany one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 400 includes a processor 402, a main memory 404(e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM),etc.), a static memory 406 (e.g., flash memory, static random accessmemory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storage device 416, which communicatewith each other via a bus 408.

The processor 402 represents one or more general-purpose processingdevices such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like.More particularly, the processor 402 may be a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing(RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor,or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processorsimplementing a combination of instruction sets. The processor 402 mayalso be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor,or the like. The processor 402 is configured to execute instructions ofthe content sharing system 102 for performing the operations discussedherein.

The computer system 400 may further include a network interface device422 that provides communication with other machines over a network 418,such as a local area network (LAN), an intranet, an extranet, or theInternet. The computer system 400 also may include a display device 410(e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), analphanumeric input device 412 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 414 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation device 420 (e.g., aspeaker).

The data storage device 416 may include a computer-readable storagemedium 424 on which is stored the sets of instructions 426 of thecontent sharing system 102 embodying any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The sets of instructions426 of the content sharing system 102 may also reside, completely or atleast partially, within the main memory 404 and/or within the processor402 during execution thereof by the computer system 400, the main memory404 and the processor 402 also constituting computer-readable storagemedia. The sets of instructions 426 may further be transmitted orreceived over the network 418 via the network interface device 422.

While the example of the computer-readable storage medium 424 is shownas a single medium, the term “computer-readable storage medium” caninclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that storethe sets of instructions 426. The term “computer-readable storagemedium” can include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding orcarrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresent disclosure. The term “computer-readable storage medium” caninclude, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, andmagnetic media.

In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will beapparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure, that the present disclosure may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, inorder to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

Some portions of the detailed description have been presented in termsof algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, it is appreciated that throughout thedescription, discussions utilizing terms such as “identifying”,“providing”, “enabling”, “finding”, “selecting” or the like, refer tothe actions and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer systemmemories or registers into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computer system memories or registers or othersuch information storage, transmission or display devices.

The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of diskincluding a floppy disk, an optical disk, a compact disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM), a magnetic-optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), arandom access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), a magnetic or optical card, or any type of media suitable forstoring electronic instructions.

The words “example” or “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as anexample, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design describedherein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use ofthe words “example” or “exemplary” is intended to present concepts in aconcrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intendedto mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unlessspecified otherwise, or clear from context, “X includes A or B” isintended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, ifX includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B, then “X includesA or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition,the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appendedclaims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unlessspecified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singularform. Moreover, use of the term “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or“an implementation” or “one implementation” throughout is not intendedto mean the same embodiment or implementation unless described as such.The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. as used herein aremeant as labels to distinguish among different elements and may notnecessarily have an ordinal meaning according to their numericaldesignation.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Other implementations will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding theabove description. The scope of the disclosure should, therefore, bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for identifying matching content items,the method comprising: receiving a first content item uploaded by afirst user account to a content sharing system for presentation to usersof the content sharing system; storing the first content item at thecontent sharing system; receiving, by the processing device, a secondcontent item uploaded by a second user account to the content sharingsystem for presentation to users of the content sharing system;determining that the second user account is not included in a group ofuser accounts that are administered by an entity associated with thefirst user account; in response to determining that the second useraccount is not included in the group of user accounts that areadministered by the entity associated with the first user account,comparing, by the processing device, the received second content item tothe stored first content item to determine that the second content itemis not exclusive to the second user account within the content sharingsystem; and restricting a privilege of the second user account for thesecond content item in response to the determination that the secondcontent item is not exclusive to the second user account.